ChessMood Podcast

Traveling nonstop for eleven months, walking eight days by the Narmada River with no phone or money — this is a small part of Sagar Shah’s journey.In this talk with GM Avetik, he speaks about the books that opened new paths for him, the balance between love and discipline, and Magnus Carlsen’s unique approach.He also shares how ChessBase India became a spiritual journey, why he created the Temple of Chess, and how the HelpChess Trust is helping young, talented chess players.It is a personal and spiritual conversation with deep reflections on growth, meaning, and living fully.-----------------------------------Get three free courses:https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principleshttps://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-gameshttps://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-gamesAt ChessMood, you learn chess from Grandmasters only!Be a part of an amazing chess community that actually wants to see your growth.Become a PRO Member to get:📹 Unlimited Access to our Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame courses🎙️ Live Streams🖥️ Webinars and Interactive Lessons🗣️ Answered by GM’s in our forum📁 PGN’s👉 Find out more about becoming a PRO Member – https://chessmood.com/become-a-pro

From reaching a 2700 rating and being among the world’s top 20 players, to helping both Vladimir Kramnik and Magnus Carlsen in World Championship matches… From classic board preparation to modern engine work — our guest is GM Laurent Fressinet.In this honest conversation with GM Avetik, he opens up about:– Working with legends like Kramnik and Carlsen– The emotional and mental challenges of elite chess– Insightful stories from the World Championship matches– Why he stopped chasing 2700 and embraced coaching– The evolution of chess: Why modern chess is all about speed– Honest thoughts on Chess960, team leadership, and Magnus’ mindsetThis episode is full of behind-the-scenes moments and takeaways from someone who’s lived every phase of a chess career.-----------------------------------Get three free courses:https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principleshttps://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-gameshttps://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-gamesAt ChessMood, you learn chess from Grandmasters only!Be a part of an amazing chess community that actually wants to see your growth.Become a PRO Member to get:📹 Unlimited Access to our Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame courses🎙️ Live Streams🖥️ Webinars and Interactive Lessons🗣️ Answered by GM’s in our forum📁 PGN’s👉 Find out more about becoming a PRO Member – https://chessmood.com/become-a-pro

In this raw and powerful conversation, GM Levon Aronian opens up about the truths he avoided — and the price he paid for it.From missing his chance at the World Championship to learning the hard lessons about discipline, ambition, and self-awareness, Levon shares insights few Grandmasters ever admit publicly.You’ll hear about his journey through crisis and reinvention, why real growth begins with brutal honesty, and how facing the truth — not running from it — shaped his life both on and off the chessboard.A rare and vulnerable glimpse into the mindset of one of chess’s most beloved legends.-----------------------------------Get three free courses:https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principleshttps://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-gameshttps://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-gamesAt ChessMood, you learn chess from Grandmasters only!Be a part of an amazing chess community that actually wants to see your growth.Become a PRO Member to get:📹 Unlimited Access to our Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame courses🎙️ Live Streams🖥️ Webinars and Interactive Lessons🗣️ Answered by GM’s in our forum📁 PGN’s👉 Find out more about becoming a PRO Member – https://chessmood.com/become-a-pro

In this special episode of the ChessMood Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Rao Srikumar — bestselling author, TED speaker, and former professor at some of the world’s top business schools. Known as the “FedEx guy” for delivering timeless wisdom in modern language, Dr. Rao has mentored thousands of elite entrepreneurs and thinkers. In this deep, honest, and often surprising conversation with GM Avetik, they explore: ✅ Emotional mastery in life and chess ✅ Letting go of anger and attachment ✅ The idea of destiny and control ✅ Why happiness isn't something you pursue ✅ And how chess mirrors the inner battles we all face A masterclass in self-discovery and emotional freedom — with some chess stories and laughs along the way.-----------------------------------Get three free courses:https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principleshttps://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-gameshttps://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-gamesAt ChessMood, you learn chess from Grandmasters only!Be a part of an amazing chess community that actually wants to see your growth.Become a PRO Member to get:📹 Unlimited Access to our Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame courses🎙️ Live Streams🖥️ Webinars and Interactive Lessons🗣️ Answered by GM’s in our forum📁 PGN’s👉 Find out more about becoming a PRO Member – https://chessmood.com/become-a-pro

Champions, our guest today is Grandmaster Noel Studer!After retiring from professional chess, he started NextLevelChess, where he shares his experience and insights to help others improve their game.Noel’s website https://nextlevelchess.com/Over 200 articles https://nextlevelchess.com/articles/His course on how to study chess https://courses.nextlevelchess.blog/courses/simplified-chess-improvement-system-----------------------------------Get three free courses:https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principleshttps://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-gameshttps://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-gamesAt ChessMood, you learn chess from Grandmasters only!Be a part of an amazing chess community that actually wants to see your growth.Become a PRO Member to get:📹 Unlimited Access to our Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame courses🎙️ Live Streams🖥️ Webinars and Interactive Lessons🗣️ Answered by GM’s in our forum📁 PGN’s👉 Find out more about becoming a PRO Member – https://chessmood.com/become-a-pro

Champions, our guest today is the European Champion 2024, Grandmaster Aleksandar Indjic.In this episode, we explore his approach to winning tournaments, managing setbacks, and using pressure as a tool for success. He also shares stories about his legendary coach GM Velimirovic, insights from working with Super Grandmaster Morozevich, and other fascinating experiences from his chess journey.There was a moment when he gave such brilliant advice that Avetik broke into applause. You’re going to enjoy this!-----------------------------------Get three free courses:https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principleshttps://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-gameshttps://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-gamesAt ChessMood, you learn chess from Grandmasters only!Be a part of an amazing chess community that actually wants to see your growth.Become a PRO Member to get:📹 Unlimited Access to our Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame courses🎙️ Live Streams🖥️ Webinars and Interactive Lessons🗣️ Answered by GM’s in our forum📁 PGN’s👉 Find out more about becoming a PRO Member – https://chessmood.com/become-a-pro

GM Georg Meier has trained with the world’s best – Carlsen and Kasparov. The latter even predicted that GM Meier would break the 2700 elo barrier.He was living the dream of a professional chess player. But then, he left his chess ambitions behind to follow a new path. Why did he do it?In his chess career, what did he learn from his interactions with five world champions? What advice does he have for chess players?Find out in this episode as GM Georg Meier sits down with GM Avetik to share his journey.-----------------------------------Get three free courses:https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principleshttps://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-gameshttps://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-gamesAt ChessMood, you learn chess from Grandmasters only!Be a part of an amazing chess community that actually wants to see your growth.Become a PRO Member to get:📹 Unlimited Access to our Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame courses🎙️ Live Streams🖥️ Webinars and Interactive Lessons🗣️ Answered by GM’s in our forum📁 PGN’s👉 Find out more about becoming a PRO Member – https://chessmood.com/become-a-pro

Our guest is the inspiring Soulaima Gourani, who went from experiencing homelessness and dropping out of school to reaching a level where she would fly on private jets, receive numerous awards, including '40 under 40,' and Top 100 Women, and build successful businesses.In conversation with GM Avetik, she talks about building an excuseless mindset, the key to finding lasting happiness, goal setting, what she would do to reach her chess goal today, and much more.Check out Soulaima’s work here:Visit her website: https://soulaima.com/Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoulaimaGourani-----------------------------------Get three free courses:https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principleshttps://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-gameshttps://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-gamesAt ChessMood, you learn chess from Grandmasters only!Be a part of an amazing chess community that actually wants to see your growth.Become a PRO Member to get:📹 Unlimited Access to our Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame courses🎙️ Live Streams🖥️ Webinars and Interactive Lessons🗣️ Answered by GM’s in our forum📁 PGN’s👉 Find out more about becoming a PRO Member – https://chessmood.com/become-a-pro

When his father was diagnosed with cancer, GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming knew he had limited time to fulfill his dream of becoming a Grandmaster. Despite being the CFO of a major startup, Kevin pushed himself and earned his GM title! At 36!Then Kevin quit his comfortable job to become the CEO of the Singapore Chess Federation, determined to make Singapore a chess country. And now, the upcoming 2024 World Championship Match between Gukesh and Ding is being held there!How does Kevin set and achieve such ambitious goals? How does he push past limitations and think big?In this episode, GM Avetik interviews Kevin, who shares his remarkable journey, interesting stories, and powerful ideas that you can apply!-----------------------------------Get three free courses:https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principleshttps://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-gameshttps://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-gamesAt ChessMood, you learn chess from Grandmasters only!Be a part of an amazing chess community that actually wants to see your growth.Become a PRO Member to get:📹 Unlimited Access to our Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame courses🎙️ Live Streams🖥️ Webinars and Interactive Lessons🗣️ Answered by GM’s in our forum📁 PGN’s👉 Find out more about becoming a PRO Member – https://chessmood.com/become-a-pro

Amy Morin, a renowned psychotherapist and the international bestselling author of “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do”, joins GM Avetik as a guest on this episode of the ChessMood podcast. They talk about the list of things mentally strong chess players don’t do, how to get over painful defeats and how chess players can master mental strength.Check out Amy’s work here:Visit her website: https://amymorinlcsw.com/Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmyMorinLCSWWatch her inspiring TedX talk with over 23 million views: https://youtu.be/TFbv757kup4?si=H20ehd0bZ0fXGskcGet the book “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do”: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062358308-----------------------------------Get three free courses: https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principleshttps://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-gameshttps://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-gamesAt ChessMood, you learn chess from Grandmasters only!Be a part of an amazing chess community that actually wants to see your growth.Become a PRO Member to get:📹 Unlimited Access to our Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame courses🎙️ Live Streams🖥️ Webinars and Interactive Lessons🗣️ Answered by GM’s in our forum📁 PGN’s👉 Find out more about becoming a PRO Member – https://chessmood.com/become-a-pro

On Today's Episode, our guest is NM Ben Johnson, host of the famous Perpetual Chess podcast.Apart from chess improvement and his book about it, we discuss:- How he built the discipline to record a new episode every week for over seven years- What he did when his motivation waned- How he overcame his fears- and many other things that you’ll find helpful for your chess journey.Navigate to a particular section of the episode:0:00 Intro02:39 How Ben started the Perpetual Chess podcast05:48 Ben switching to poker09:55 How Ben keeps his discipline22:09 Competitiveness in chess and in life30:55 How to deal with nervousness47:39 “Perpetual Chess Improvement” book1:06:07 Ben learning Russian and living in St. PetersburgBen’s book:⁠ https://a.co/d/6ZxcIfHFollow Ben Johnson at:⁠https://www.perpetualchesspod.com⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@perpetualchesspodcast9143⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5SzyXVaBZtM8CA6dtBQj7o?si=cca67f8271d146a0⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perpetual-chess-podcast/id1185023674⁠_____________________________________________________Get three free courses:⁠https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principles⁠⁠https://chessmood.com/course/avetik-grigoryan-best-games⁠⁠https://chessmood.com/course/gabuzyan-best-games⁠

On Today's Episode the Smiley Grandmaster Bassem Amin shares:- How he became an FM at 11, IM at 16, and GM at 18- Why he decided to study medicine and why he returned to professional chess- Gratitude lessons he learned from the army- How he changed his training to reach a 2,700 rating- How he got into the top 50 in the world and what his next goal is- His No.1 advice for aspiring chess playersAnd much more…Follow Bassem Amin here:⁠https://www.facebook.com/GMBassemAmin⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/gm_bassem_amin⁠⁠https://twitter.com/GMBassemAmin⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/GMBassemAmin⁠⁠https://www.twitch.tv/bassemamin⁠

On Today's Episode, one of the most loved chess streamers - IM Eric Rosen, shares:- How he overcame the plateau by working on his mindset and how he became an international master- How he learned to deal with defeats- How he fuels his journey with passion by learning new things- Why he doesn’t set long-term goals- How he finds the balance between being competitive and collaborative- And much more…Check out Eric Rosen here:https://www.youtube.com/@eric-rosenhttps://www.twitch.tv/imrosenhttps://twitter.com/IM_Rosenhttps://www.instagram.com/ericrosenphotographyArticles mentioned:https://new.uschess.org/news/eric-rosen-on-final-im-norm-keys-to-successhttps://chessmood.com/blog/detachment

What can chess players learn from the world of biohacking?In this episode of the ChessMood podcast, our host and founder GM Avetik Grigoryan interviews Ben Greenfield, one of the world’s top biohackers, to share his insights. Ben’s also the author of thirteen bestselling books covering health, biohacking, fitness, and brain optimization. He has worked with many top athletes, CEOs, some of the top poker players, and has also been the president of a chess club!Connect with Ben Greenfield here:Website: https://bengreenfieldlife.com/Get the book "Boundless" by Ben Greenfield here: https://www.amazon.com/Boundless-Upgrade-Brain-Optimize-Aging/dp/1628603976

In this episode of the ChessMood Podcast, our guest is James Altucher, a man who has turned his life around multiple times and achieved tremendous success in many fields! James is a serial entrepreneur, investor, bestselling author, stand-up comedian, blogger, podcaster, and also a chess master! From building a fortune by selling his first company to hitting rock-bottom and even contemplating suicide at one point to making a comeback by achieving success across various domains, his story is a testament of resilience and fearlessness! In this episode with the host GM Avetik Grigoryan, James shares his unique strategies for success, his approach to overcoming life’s challenges, and all the lessons he learned through in his different careers that you can apply to your life and chess.Check out James Altucher here: Visit his official website: ⁠https://jamesaltucher.com/⁠Follow him on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/jaltucher⁠Listen to The James Altucher Show on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0Tqw1AaZyrZ7kWnrNSgbNQ⁠Watch him on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQlx2klE_aNrPhz2OyKRdg⁠

Multiple times Olympic and World Champion, elite chess Grandmaster Vladimir Akopian with 2700+ peak rating, shares the stories behind his remarkable career, including the advice he got from Botvinnik before winning his 1st World Championship, his matches with Garry Kasparov and how he was arrested on his way to chess Olympiad.

If you take care of your inner being and keep it healthy, you’ll elevate not only your chess performance, but also the quality of your life. People around you will be better. The world will be better. Today’s guest is one of the brightest, smartest, deepest and happiest persons alive. He constantly wins both games — the outer game, what the society calls success, and the inner game that we need to win but often forget about. Apart from building a few successful companies in Silicon Valley, then becoming an investor and founding a VC and many other impressive things like walking 550 miles across Spain, he wrote the bestseller book “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It,” which shaped thousands of people’s lives, including me and my Grandmaster friend. And in this interview, Kamal shares how exactly we should take care of our inner selves to have better chess and life journeys.

How to stop underperforming and play at your peak? Peak performance coach Todd Herman, who has worked with hundreds of Olympians and Elite Athletes like Kobe Bryant, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Nadal, shares how we, chess players, can enhance our performance by creating alter egos and with other techniques.